acid in Biological News

Omega fatty acid balance can alter immunity and gene expression

For the past century, changes in the Western diet have altered the consumption of omega-6 fatty acids (w6, found in meat and vegetable oils) compared with omega-3 fatty acids (w3, found in flax and fish oil). Many studies seem to indicate this shift has brought about an increased risk of inflammat...

Caffeic acid inhibits colitis in a mouse model -- is a drug-metabolizing gene crucial?

This release is available in Chinese . Researchers at Iowa State University have found that increased expression of a form of cytochrome P-450 (CYP4B1) is a key marker of inhibition of colitis in mice by ca...

Folic acid to prevent congenital heart defects

This release is available in French . Montreal, May 14th 2009 - The Canadian policy of fortifying grain products with folic acid has already proved to be effective in preventing neural tube defects. The latest article published in the British Medical Journal by a group of researchers fr...

Health benefits, consequences of folic acid dependent on circumstances

Boston, MA and Washington, D.C.April 1, 2009For the past several decades, evidence has shown that greater dietary intake of the B-vitamin, folate, offers protection against the development of certain common cancers and reduces neural tube defects in newborns, opening new avenues for public health ...

Atomic structure of the mammalian 'fatty acid factory' determined

Mammalian fatty acid synthase is one of the most complex molecular synthetic machines in human cells. It is also a promising target for the development of anti-cancer and anti-obesity drugs and the treatment of metabolic disorders. Now researchers at ETH Zurich have determined the atomic structure...

Strange molecule in the sky cleans acid rain, scientists discover

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Researchers have discovered an unusual molecule that is essential to the atmosphere's ability to break down pollutants, especially the compounds that cause acid rain. It's the unusual chemistry facilitated by this molecule, however, that will attract the most attention fr...

Pre-cancerous condition linked to chronic acid reflux faces several hurdles

A pre-cancerous condition linked to chronic acid reflux often gets overlooked. Can the medical community do a better job intervening? Researchers from the Hutchinson-MRC Research Centre in Cambridge think so. In a review published in the inaugural issue of Disease Models & Mechanisms (DMM), ...

Database shows effects of acid rain on microorganisms in Adirondack Lakes

Bolton Landing, N.Y. Prior to the federal Clean Air Act, unhindered industrial emissions were released into the air throughout the Midwestern and Eastern United States for decades. Many of those harmful chemicals came right back down to earth in the form of acid rain, a chemical concoction that i...

Domoic acid from toxic algal blooms may cause seizures in California sea lions

Scientists, reporting in the current issue of the online journal Marine Drugs , state that an increase of epileptic seizures and behavioral abnormalities in California sea lions can result from low-dose exposure to domoic acid as a fetus. The findings follow an analysis earlier this year led by F...

Lipoic acid could reduce atherosclerosis, weight gain

CORVALLIS, Ore. A new study done with mice has discovered that supplements of lipoic acid can inhibit formation of arterial lesions, lower triglycerides, and reduce blood vessel inflammation and weight gain all key issues for addressing cardiovascular disease. Although the results cannot be d...

New folic acid seal helps women choose enriched grain foods to help prevent birth defects

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., JAN. 9, 2008 Not enough American women understand that consuming the B vitamin folic acid every day can help prevent serious birth defects, and only 40 percent are taking daily multivitamin supplements containing this essential nutrient beginning before pregnancy, two recent s...

University of Alberta researchers report breakthrough in lowering bad cholesterol, fatty acid levels

There is heartening news out of the University of Alberta for those who may have overindulged during the recent holidays. U of A medical researchers have found a way to reduce the amount of bad cholesterol and fatty acids that end up in the blood from food the body metabolizes, a key discover...

Coral reefs unlikely to survive in acid oceans

Stanford, CA Carbon emissions from human activities are not just heating up the globe, they are changing the oceans chemistry. This could soon be fatal to coral reefs, which are havens for marine biodiversity and underpin the economies of many coastal communities. Scientists from the Carnegie I...

Folic acid lowers blood arsenic levels in Bangladesh

A new study conducted in Bangladesh finds that folic acid supplements can dramatically lower blood arsenic levels in individuals chronically exposed to arsenic-contaminated drinking water. Arsenic is a toxic element that is naturally present in some soils and water. Arsenic-contaminated drinking...

Folic acid lowers blood arsenic levels, according to Mailman School of Public Health study

October 8, 2007 -- A new study by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health finds that folic acid supplements can dramatically lower blood arsenic levels in individuals exposed to arsenic through contaminated drinking water. This toxic element, naturally present in some a...

Recovery from acid rain 'much slower than expected'

Acid rain was one of the worlds worst pollution problems of the 1970s and 1980s, affecting large areas of upland Britain, as well as Europe and North America. In Wales, more than 12,000 km of streams and rivers have been acidified, harming fish, stream insects and river birds such as the dipper...

University of Oregon researcher finds that on water's surface, nitric acid is not so tough

EUGENE, Ore.(Aug. 20, 2007)Nitric acid is a notoriously strong and chemically destructive compound found in water on earth and in our atmosphere. However, a team of researchers have found that its punch is much weaker when it sits on the top of a water surface. The discovery of the weaker and m...

New evidence that people make aspirin's active principle -- salicylic acid

WASHINGTON, Dec. 22, 2008 Scientists in the United Kingdom are reporting new evidence that humans can make their own salicylic acid (SA) the material formed when aspirin breaks down in the body. SA, which is responsible for aspirin's renowned effects in relieving pain and inflammation, may be th...

Power from formic acid

This release is available in German . One of the central challenges of our time is the supply of enough environmentally friendly and resource-efficient energy to our society. In this context, hydrogen technology has taken on increased importance. Bjrn Loges, Albert Boddien, Henrik Junge, and...

Protein sensor for fatty acid buildup in mitochondria

Just as homes have smoke detectors, cells have an enzyme that responds to a buildup of fatty acids by triggering the production of a key molecule in the biochemical pathway that breaks down these fatty acids, according to investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. This breakdown of fat...

Genomic comparison of lactic acid bacteria published

With public concerns at a fevered pitch over the bacterial contamination of spinach, it is easy to lose track of how bland and deprived our world would be without the contribution to our food supply of such benign microbial players as lactic acid-producing bacteria. Researchers from the U.S. Depart...

Use of amino acid supplement following a heart attack provides no benefit, may be harmful

Use of the amino acid supplement L-arginine following a heart attack does not improve certain cardiac functions and measurements and may be associated with an increased risk of death, according to a study in the January 4 issue of JAMA. L-arginine is a widely available dietary supplement and is p...

Lactic acid not athlete's poison, but an energy source - if you know how to use it

In the lore of marathoners and extreme athletes, lactic acid is poison, a waste product that builds up in the muscles and leads to muscle fatigue, reduced performance and pain. Some 30 years of research at the University of California, Berkeley, however, tells a different story: Lactic acid can b...

Oceans turning to acid from rise in CO2

Editor : A 0.1 change over 200 years? I'd like to see how they calculated that, and their standard error - but as with the last article, don't panic just yet! Still, if it's a real trend, it could be alarming. Oceans are quite big... It takes a lot of acid to change its pH, I guess! A report i...

Study shows how retinoic acid enters a cell's nucleus

Cornell University researchers have revealed a process that has stumped scientists for many years: exactly how an acid derived from vitamin A enters a cell's nucleus, where it has strong anti-carcinogenic effects. Discovery of this basic transport mechanism opens a new door for future research o...

Proteomics brings researchers closer to understanding microbes that produce acid mine drainage

A pink, bacterial scum on the floor of an abandoned mine seems an unlikely place to study community development, but a biological breakthrough is allowing University of California, Berkeley, researchers to probe the give and take in this microbial mat. Last year, the UC Berkeley team joined with...

Carnegie Mellon's Jean VanBriesen leads research team on Monongahela River

... Monongahela River. The focus will be on the presence and effect of bromide associated with Marcellus Shale gas produced water, and sulfate from acid mine drainage, according to VanBriesen, a professor of civil and environmental engineering and faculty director of the Center for Water Quality in Urb...

Mary had a lot of lambs: Researchers identify way to accelerate sheep breeding

...ed. Melatonin is a naturally produced hormone commonly found in many animals. The change in the DNA sequence of the M allele does not change the amino acid sequence of the protein. This means that it may be an accurate indicator for the phenotype of breeding out of season, though it's uncertain whether th...

Wastewater produces electricity and desalinates water

...an. "However, it took 200 milliliters of an artificial wastewater -- acetic acid in water -- to desalinate 3 milliliters of salty water. This is not a pract...his experiment, the researchers periodically added a pH buffer avoiding the acid problem, but this problem will need to be considered if the system is to pr...

Parasites ready to jump

...A sequences present in high copy numbers inside the cell, even if they have not integrated into the genome. Small molecules of RNA (a class of nucleic acid closely related to the genetic material DNA) play the central role. "Transposons are genomic parasites, so to speak", says Frstemann. "If they are all...

New computer simulation helps explain folding in important cellular protein

...ed to be useful in studying a variety of physical systems. Wang was a doctoral student at UGA and now works for the Intel Corp.) GpA is a 131-amino acid protein that spans the human red-blood cell membrane and is crucial in cell procedures. Because it has been studied in depth for many years, it also s...

Protein that promotes cancer cell growth identified

...n relaying the growth signals from epidermal growth factor (EGF) that cause cell division and invasion. The researchers also identified an RXDLL amino acid motif that controls the signaling from the EGF receptor through the protein kinase Src to the master cell proliferation regulator protein, MAPK. This ...

Scientists discover gene mutation responsible for hereditary neuroendocrine tumor

... found that Sdh5 is required for activation of another protein called Sdh1 that is also part of the SDH complex. Studies in Humans "The amino acid sequence of yeast Sdh5 is 44 percent identical to its human counterpart, which we've named hSDH5. This gave us some confidence that the Sdh5 functions...

Tires made from trees -- better, cheaper, more fuel efficient

...alline cellulose a micrometer-sized type of crystalline cellulose with an extremely well-organized structure. It is produced in a low-cost process of acid hydrolysis using nature's most abundant and sustainable natural polymer cellulose that comprises about 40-50 percent of wood. In this study, OSU ...

Scientists report first remote, underwater detection of harmful algae, toxins

...enus Pseudo-nitzschia and their neurotoxin, domoic acid in Monterey Bay, Calif. Pseudo-nitzschia and domoic acid have been a concern in the Monterey Bay area for w...decade. In 1991, the first U.S. outbreak of domoic acid poisoning was documented in Monterey Bay. This out...

LSUHSC's Bazan awarded ARRA grant to preserve vision

... several of these mediators platelet-activating factor (PAF) which appears to play a key role contributing to tissue destruction, and the arachidonic acid (AA)- mediators that play a key role in tissue repair. AA-mediators, lipoxin A4 and the aspirin-triggered epi-LxA4, will be studied . "If our hypo...

Results from trials of DHA in Alzheimer's disease and age-related cognitive decline

...gnosing people with Alzheimer's. DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) is naturally found in the body in small amounts, and is the most abundant omega 3 fatty acid in the brain. DHA oil is abundant in some marine microalgae, which provide the DHA that makes fatty fish a good source of DHA. Dietary DHA is also ava...

Two dietary oils, two sets of benefits for older women with diabetes

...oil, a common cooking oil, and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a compound naturally found in some meat and...in the women participants. Conjugated linoleic acid supplementation for the same length of time, on th....4 grams of each oil's active fatty acid: linoleic acid in safflower oil and, in CLA, specific fatty...

Brain malformations significantly associated with preterm birth, Wake Forest research shows

...e new directions to explore." Meanwhile, Brown endorses the use of folic acid before and during pregnancy. "It's not completely known how it works, but it could be impacting coagulopathy because folic acid is involved with the pathways that are also involved with coagulation," he ...

OJ worse for teeth than whitening says Eastman Institute researchers

...e detail thanks to a new focus-variation vertical scanning microscope. "The acid is so strong that the tooth is literally washed away," said Ren, whose find...t erosion of teeth." It's long been known that juice and sodas have high acid content, and can negatively affect enamel hardness. "There are also some st...